$330m of new trains on order for Auckland
Auckland is to get 23 new electric commuter trains costing $330 million, to take its fleet to 95.
The city’s agency Auckland Transport (AT) said the first trains from this third order would begin arriving in late 2024, around the expected opening of the $4.5 billion City Rail Link project.
The three-unit ‘‘ AM class’’ Spanish-built trains, are the same type as the ones operating on the city’s network since 2014.
The new investment will include modifications to the existing fleet of 72 trains, to improve performance, and new parking, or ‘‘stabling’’, facilities.
The expansion of the rail fleet is being half-funded by the government through Waka Kotahi, and by Auckland Council – using an unspecified amount raised via the Regional Fuel Tax.
AT said the expansion would cater for growth expected after major rail projects are completed, not only CRL but also the extension of electric service to Pukekohe.
‘‘The increase in patronage on the rail network in recent years can partly be credited to the introduction of our electric trains,’’ said Shane Ellison, the chief executive.
In the short-term, rail patronage in Auckland has been hard hit, not just by Covid-19, but by extended network shutdowns through 2019 as Kiwirail urgently upgraded worn tracks.
As of October 2021 – during Auckland’s Covid-19 level 3 restrictions – only 9.8 million rail trips had been made annually, 27 per cent lower than preCovid.
However CRL will double the capacity of the rail network by creating a loop under the innercity, allowing more frequent services and cutting travel times into the downtown area.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the expansion of electricpowered trains would help the city meet commitments to halve carbon emissions by 2030, which requires a 64 per cent cut in transport emissions.
‘‘They will provide more sustainable low-emissions transport choices for Aucklanders and make it easier and faster to get around the city by public transport,’’ said Goff.
The modifications to the entire fleet relate to their operation in the CRL tunnels, and so they can run as triplesets, up to nine carriages, instead of the six carriage limit at present.